Cotton-gin.



N0. 759,484. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. R. STARRBTT. COTTON GIN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7,1903. I0 MODEL. 3 SHEBTS-SHEBT 1.

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' No. 759,484. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

' R. STARRETT.

COTTON GIN. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 7, l 903.

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R. STARRETT. GOTTON GIN.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 1, 1903.

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UNITED STATES RALPH STARRETT, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO STAR- Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

RETT COTTON GIN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COTTON-GIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,484, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed April 7, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH STARRETT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at East Orange, county of Essex, State of New 5 Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Grins, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

I My invention relates to cotton-gins; and it consists in a novel form of apparatus employ- 1 ingpneumatic pressure to assist in the ginning of the cotton.

My invention consists ina perforated plate I through which currents of air are caused to pass, a vibrating stripper on one side of said plate and a ginning member on the other. The perforated plate is preferably comprised in a casing having a plurality of longitudinal 2 perforations and the ginning member composed of a ginning-roller mounted to rotate within the casing and having a plurality of shouldered portions arranged diagonally of the said casing-perforations. The vibrating 5 stripper preferably comprises a plurality of stripping-bars arfanged longitudinally of the said longitudinal casing-perforations and is arranged to be vibrated across said perforations. Means are provided for creating a 3 draft of air through the perforated plate or casing, and such means may conveniently comprise a suction apparatus connected with the interior of said casing to draw air through the perforations, and suitable means will be employed to feed the material to be operated upon to the device.

My invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combination of parts, as will hereinafter be more fully 4 pointed out.

The main object of my inventionis to more effectively gin cotton by the employment of air-currents, and other advantages will appear in the specification herein.

1 will now proceed to describe a cotton-gin embodying my invention and will then point out the novel features in claims.

Figure 1 shows a top View of acotton-gin Serial No. 151,426. (No model.)

embodying my invention with a portion of the vibrating stripper broken away in order to show the longitudinal perforationsin the casing. Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section of same. Fig. 3 is adetail detached view of the ginning-roller employed. Fig. 4; is a diagrammatic plan view of a plurality of cotton-gins connected to a single exhaust or fanblower. Fig. 5 is a View in elevation of the same.

The principle of operation of my improved cotton-gin lies in the relative movement of three members, the middle one of which comprises a perforated plate, and in the production of air-currents which are caused to pass through the perforations in said plate. The

hold the material in its perforations. The inner member, aided by the air-currents, acts to draw the cotton fiber through the perforations in the middle plate, and the outer member acts to strip the cotton-seeds from the fiber prior to .the fiber being drawn through the perforations. The middle plate or member in the present embodiment of my invention is comprised in a casing 1, having a plurality of longitudinal perforations 2. The inner member is composed of a ginning-roller 3, provided with a plurality of shouldered portions comprised in projecting strips 4: angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the roller and diagonally with respect to the longitudinal perforations 2 in the casing 1. A detail View of the ginning-roller is illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the arrangement of the shouldered portions is clearly shown. The strips 4 may be of flexible material, such as walrus-hide.

The ginning-roller 3 is mounted to rotate within the casing 1 and for this purpose is journaled in suitable bearings upon the frame 5 of the machine and is provided with a belt pulley 6, by means of which it may be driven.

The casing is provided upon its inner side, in proximity to the longitudinal perforations 2, with strips 7 to which the projecting portions of the gii'ming-roller 3 are fitted and with which they are arranged to frictionally engage. These strips 7 are arranged, as

middle plate or member acts to receive and 'erates the vibrating stripper.

shown, along the lower edges of the longitudinal perforations 2 and extend from end to end thereof. They project inwardly within the casing, and thus form an engaging surface for the ginning-roller, whereby contact between the ginning-roller and the casing may be maintained at points in proximity to the said perforations while clearance is permitted elsewhere. The portion of the casing 1 beneath the roller is somewhat enlarged, so that the roller will be entirely clear thereof, and room will thus be left between the roller and the casing for the delivery of cotton fibers. The direction of rotation of the ginning-roller is in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 2.

A vibrating stripper 8 is arranged at the exterior of the casing and comprises a plurality of longitudinal stripping-bars 9, arranged parallel with and in close proximity to the longitudinal casing-perforations and end frames 10, carrying the said strippingbars. The stripper is loosely mounted upon the shaft of the roller 3 and is connected by cars 11 with a transverse shaft 12', to which a vibrating movement is imparted by an eccentric13, connected therewith through an eccentric-rod 14. The eccentric 13 is mounted upon a transverse shaft 15, suitably journaled in bearings upon the frame 5, and is rotated by means of a belt-and-pulley connection with the shaft of the ginning-roller 3.

A finger-board 16 is provided for the purpose of supporting cotton to be delivered to the ginning devices, and teeth 17 disposed between the fingers of the finger-board, are

caused'to vibrate to assist in feeding the ma terial by any suitable means, as by connection wlth the same eccentric mechanism that opvided for creating a difference of air-pressure between the interior and the exterior of the casing, so as toproduce a condition tending to cause air-currents to pass through the perforations therein from the exterior to the interior of the casing. This may be accomplished in any suitable manner, but preferably by the'employment of suction apparatus connected to the interior of the casing. For this purpose I have shown the casing 1 as connected by suitable conduits with a suction apparatus 18, which may be in the form of a fanblower. In such case the connection from the ginningdevices will be upon the receiver side of the fan or blower, and the cotton fiber delivered from the ginning devices will be drawn into and through the fan and will be delivered at its discharge side to any desired point, as to the baling-presses.

In operation cotton to be ginned is fed to the machine from the finger-board in the usual or any desired manner and is drawn toward the perforations in the casing by pneumatic action. Portions of the fibers will pass clear through these perforations, and the ginning- Means is proroller in its rotation will tend to draw these fibers forward. This action will also be assisted by the reduction of air-pressure within the casing below that of the atmospheric air at the exterior thereof produced by the operation of the suction apparatus. Rapid vibration of the stripper will in each downward movement tend to strip the cotton-seeds away from the fiber and in each upward movement will permit the cotton fibers to be drawn a little farther through the casing-perforations. In this manner cotton fiber will be drawn through the said perforations and will pass down along beneath the roller between it and the casing through the conduit leading to the blower and will finally be delivered by the blower tothe desired point. During this time the seeds stripped by the stripper 8 will drop down between the finger-board and the casing to the floor or to any suitable receptacle.

In order to clean the ginning-roller 3 and to clear the space between the projecting strips 4 of cotton fiber, which is liable to become matted at these points, I have provided the casing with a longitudinal perforation 19 in addition to the perforations arranged for receiving the cotton and have located this perforation at about the point of divergence of the casing at its upper side from the roller. I have further provided a slide 20, by means of which the size of the opening may be varied. When the gin is operating and the slide drawn back, so as to admit air through the said perforation 19, air will be drawn thereth rough at considerable velocity by the operation of the suction apparatus and in its passage will tend to clean and clear the ginning-roller 3 from fibers carried around thereby.

Throughout the specification and claims I have referred to the passage of air-currents through the perforations in the casing and the employment of means for creating a difierence of air-pressure between the interior and the.

. ing to the interior thereof. It will be understood, of course, that the lowering of air-pressure on one side of the casing causes the air at greater pressure on the other side of the casing to pass through the perforations. Theoretically air may be drawn or forced through the perforations in the casing either by lowering the air-pressure below atmosphere on one side or raising the air-pressure above atmosphere on the other side. Either will result in the production of air-currents which will pass through the perforations. Practically, however, in my present apparatus I prefer to lower the pressure on the inside of the casing below atmospheric pressure, and for this purpose employ a suction apparatus and have drawn claims specific thereto. I do not desire, however, to be limited to such use in the broad claims and have therefore adopted an expression which will include the alternative suggested above.

WVhat I claim is- 1. In a cotton-gin, the combination with three members movable with respect to each other, the middle one of said members comprising a perforated plate, and the other members comprising respectively stripping and ginning devices, of means for creating a draft of air through the perforations in said plate.

2. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a stripping, a holding, and a ginning member,

the holding member comprising a perforated plate, of means for producing relative movements of the three said members, and means for simultaneously creating a draft of air through the perforations in said holding-plate.

3. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a stationary perforated plate, of a vibrating stripper arranged on one side thereof, a movable ginning member arranged on the other side thereof, and means causing the air-pres sure on the ginning-member side of the perforated plate to be less than on the stripper side.

4:. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing, and a ginning-rollermounted to rotate therein, of a vibrating stripper arranged at the exterior of said casing and means for creating a draft of air through the perforations in said casing from the exterior to theinterior thereof.

5. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing, and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, of a vibrating stripper arranged at the exterior of said casing, and suction apparatus connected with the interior thereof.

6. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, having a plurality of angularly-disposcd shouldered portions, of a vibrating stripper arranged at the exterior of said casing. and means for creating a draft of air through the perforations in said casing from the exterior to the interior thereof.

7. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a casing having longitudinal perforations, and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, having a plurality of shouldered portions arranged diagonally to the said longitudinal casing-perforations, of a vibrating stripper arranged at the exterior of said casing, in proximity to said perforations, and suction apparatus connected with the interior thereof.

8. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a casing having longitudinal perforations, and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, of a stripper mounted at the exterior of said casing, comprising a plurality of strippingbars arranged longitudinally of said casingperforations, means for vibrating the said stripper across said casing-perforations, and

suction apparatus connected with the interior of said casing.

9. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a casinghavinglongitudinal perforations, and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, having a plurality of shouldered portions arranged diagonally to the said longitudinal casing-perforations, of a stripper mounted at the exterior of said casing, comprising a plurality of stripping-bars arranged longitudinally of said casing-perforations, means for vibrating the said stripper across said casing-perforations, and suction apparatus connected with the interior of said casing.

10. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, of a vibrating stripper arranged at the exterior of said casing, and suction apparatus connected with the interior thereof, the said casing having in addition to the said perforations therein, a longitudinal opening in proximity to the periphery of said roller to admit air for the purpose of cleaning the roller.

11. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing and a ginning-roller mounted to rotate therein, of a vibrating stripper arranged at the exterior of said casing, and suction apparatus connected with the interior thereof, the said casing having in addition to the said perforations therein, a longitudinal opening in proximity to the periphery of said roller to admit air for the purpose of cleaning the roller, and provided with means for regulating the size of said opening.

12. In a cottongin, the combination with a perforated casing, a vibrating stripper at the exterior thereof, and a ginning-roller therein, frictionall y engaging the said casing, of means for creating a draft of air through the said perforations.

13. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing, a vibrating stripper at the exterior thereof, and a ginning-roller therein, frietionally engaging the said casing at points in proximity to the perforations therein, of means for creating a draft of air through the said perforations.

14. In a cotton-gin, the combination with a perforated casing having portions therein projecting inwardly in proximity to said perforations, and a vibrating stripper at the exterior thereof, of a ginning-roller therein frietionally engaging the said inwardly-projecting portions of the casing, and means for creating a draft of air through the said perforations.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 4th day of April, 1903, in the presence of two witnesses.

RALPH STARRETTI.

Witnesses:

A. MoGroNAeLn, D. HOWARD HAYWOOD. 

